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Mumbai's Adarsh Housing Society is a great leveller. An RTI application has revealed that the same complex houses a driver and his employer. Likewise, people earning less than Rs 9,000 a month have been able to afford flats worth more than Rs 60 lakh.

But there seems to be a sinister reason at work. According to state government rules, an aspirant who wasn't employed by the government was eligible for membership of the society only if his/ her monthly income was less than Rs 12,500.

Since the Maharashtra government provided the plot to the society at 15 per cent of the market value, the state government stipulated that only those from the economically weaker section of society or government employees could become members.

The rule was framed to ensure that only those who needed a house or could not afford one form the society and buy government land cheap.

Activist Sanjay Gurav got details of the society's promoters from the Mumbai housing registrar through an RTI application.

According to the document, more than 70 per cent of the flat owners seemed to have presented false affidavits about their income.

And reportedly about 30 per cent of the members are actually proxies or benamis for politicians and bureaucrats. Mail Today has a list of those who reportedly presented false income details.

While the upper income limit did not apply to people's representatives such as MLCs and MPs, they too seem to have under- reported their incomes. For instance, Congress MLC and prominent businessman Kanhaiyalal Gidwani - one of the main movers of the project - showed his monthly income to be Rs 30,000. Similarly, Shiv Sena MP Suresh Prabhu declared his monthly income to be Rs 20,000.

"A flat in Adarsh Housing Society costs around Rs 65 lakh. No bank in the country will give you a loan to buy a Rs 65 lakh flat if you earn Rs 10,000- 12,000.

But most of the 103 members claim that to be their monthly income," Gurav said.

Gurav mentioned Sudhakar Madke, a driver in SMS Infrastructure Private Limited, a firm owned by the Sanchetis. Madke, who earns Rs 8,600 per month managed to pay Rs 60 lakh for a flat. Interestingly, his employer and BJP national executive member Ajay Sancheti also owns a flat in the same building.

An investigator who has seen the list of 77 promoters said at least 28 seemed to be proxy owners.

"Their addresses could throw some light on who the real owners are. For example, more than seven members are from Pune - an NCP stronghold. Similarly, one promoter is from Ambejogai - a prominent BJP leader hails from there," the officer said.

Former IPS officer and advocate Y. P. Singh suggested a way of identifying proxy owners. "All these people are rich and powerful and they want bigger flats.

So they buy two flats next to each other and then break the wall in between them. For instance, former principal secretary Subhash Lalla got one flat in his mother's maiden name - Sushila Shaligram - and one for his daughter Sumeela Sethi next door," he said.

What's in a name

Among the 103 allottees, the following 28 are suspected of owning flats by proxy by the investigators probing the scam.

Name Monthly incomeKavita S. Godbole Rs 12,000

Harusha M. Havnur Rs 8,250

K.D. Bhegade Rs 15,000

S.S. Kale Rs 12,500

S.N. Mane Rs 12,500

Uttam Ghakare Rs 11,000

Parmanand Hinduja Rs 12,000

Chandrashekar Gaikwad Rs 17,000

Sanjay Raghunath Ruke Rs 10,000

Vishwas Chougale Rs 12,000

Raghunath M. Bhosale Rs 10,500

Dhaval R. Shah Rs 11,000

Eknath Damu Rathod Rs 20,000

Gajanan S. Koli Rs 11,000

Nivruti Ganpati Bhosale Rs 11,500

Anand S. Bharose Rs 10,000

Soniya Suresh Rs 12,500

Supriya V. Maske Rs 12,500

Arun V. Dawle Rs 12,500

Samrat R. Khidse Rs 14,000

Rajesh Kumar Das Rs 27,000

Kiran V. Bhadange Rs 10,000

Aditya B. Patil Rs 12,000

Rajesh S. Bora Rs 11,000

Sudhakar L. Madke Rs 11,000

Arun Sopan Adate Rs 10,000

Amol V. Kharbhari Rs 10,000

Dr Sanjay R. Radkar Rs 20,000

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